Prospect Brian Lashoff hopes to impress Red Wings after injury-filled season with Griffins

TRAVERSE CITY -- Brian Lashoff wishes he didn’t have to wait until October for the start of the season because he is ready to go -- like, right now. As in today.

For now, the defenseman, who turns 21 on Saturday, will have to make due with the Detroit Red Wings’ development camp at Centre I.C.E. Arena.

Lashoff’s eagerness can be attributed to his desire to make up for last season, most of which was spent either hurt or out of the lineup.

"That was frustrating last year with injuries and not being in the lineup at times," he said. "It’s tough to be patient right now, but having a camp like this is good to get good competition and be ready to go for (training) camp."

Shoulder and ankle injuries limited Lashoff to only three assists in 37 games as a rookie with the Grand Rapids Griffins last season.

To ensure that doesn’t happen again, he has added about 10 pounds to his 6-foot-3 frame.

In the two months before training camp begins, he hopes to add another five pounds while training with his older brother, Matt, a defenseman in the Toronto Maple Leafs system.

"I think the big thing for me is strength. I’ve got a big frame and I think I can fill out even more," Lashoff said. "I’m always trying to get stronger but, at the same time, I work on my skating every year and try to make it as good as possible."

Griffins coach Curt Fraser said he has loved Lashoff since he first arrived in Grand Rapids for an amateur tryout near the end of the 2008-09 season, and arguably was the team’s best defenseman in a first-round playoff victory against Hamilton.

However, when Lashoff was healthy last year, he frequently was left out of the mix on a deep blueline that included Derek Meech, Doug Janik and Brendan Smith.

"Lash ran into some injury problems last year, we had a lot of bodies around and he just couldn’t find his step," Fraser said. "But he’s still a young man. That was his first year, now that’s out of the way and he’s come to this camp already bigger, stronger and looks way more confident. He’s going to do some very good things for us this year."

Lashoff went undrafted, but was signed by the Red Wings as a free agent in 2008 after he impressed the organization with a strong performance in training camp.

If Lashoff wants to continue the path to one day play in the NHL, this will be an important season, Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill said.

"Development is such a big part of the game now for the NHL, so these guys are going to have to play lots of games," Nill said. "Now, you need to earn that also, it’s not just given to you, so it is a big year for him."

Lashoff would be the first to agree with that statement. He already is planning on shouldering more responsibility with the Griffins this season.

"I’m going to try to be a pretty big part of the team this year. I know missing a lot of time last year was frustrating, so I want to try get in there and try to mold myself into a top-four defenseman," he said. "That’s the role I want to be in and I want to fill it as soon as possible, so I’m going into camp pretty determined."

Lashoff is optimistic he will be able to remain healthy throughout the season.

He said practicing with the Red Wings as a "Black Ace" during their recent postseason run helped jump-start his training this summer and will make him feel more comfortable at training camp this fall.

It was an educational experience, and it will be up to him to show what he learned this season. Assuming, of course, he is able to stay on the ice for a full year.

"I’m pretty confident, right now, with my strength and everything," he said. "The way I’ve been training this summer, I’m not really worried about getting injured, which is a pretty big thing.

"I think the main goal for me would be to come in and be a top-four guy on the Griffins and, hopefully, stay as long as possible."